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Banking sector concentration, competition and financial stability: the case of the Baltic countries

Author

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  • Cuestas, Juan Carlos
  • Lucotte, Yannick
  • Reigl, Nicolas

Abstract

This paper empirically assesses the potential nonlinear relationship between competition and bank risk for a sample of commercial banks in the Baltic countries over the period 2000–2014. Competition is measured by two alternative indexes, the Lerner index and the market share, while we consider the Z-score and loan loss reserves as proxies for bank risk. In line with the theoretical predictions of Martinez-Miera and Repullo (2010), we find an inverse U-shaped relationship between competition and financial stability. This then means that above a certain threshold, the lack of competition is likely to exacerbate the individual risk-taking behaviour of banks, and could be detrimental to the stability of the banking sector in the Baltic countries. The threshold is around 0.60 for the Lerner index, and close to 50% for market share in terms of assets. The policy implications are that the existence of such a threshold suggests that the future evolution of the the structure of the banking industry in these countries is of critical importance. Specifically, this implies that policy-makers should place greater emphasis on mergers and acquisitions to avoid any significant increase of banking sector concentration

Suggested Citation

  • Cuestas, Juan Carlos & Lucotte, Yannick & Reigl, Nicolas, 2017. "Banking sector concentration, competition and financial stability: the case of the Baltic countries," Bank of Estonia Working Papers wp2017-7, Bank of Estonia, revised 11 Sep 2017.
    • Handle: RePEc:eea:boewps:wp2017-7
    DOI: 10.23656/25045520/102016/003710.23656/25045520/72017/0145
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    Cited by:

    1. Juan Carlos Cuestas & Yannick Lucotte & Nicolas Reigl, 2022. "The evolution and heterogeneity of credit procyclicality in Central and Eastern Europe," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(1), pages 911-942, January.
    2. Ines Ghazouani & Nadia Basty, 2023. "Is the relationship between bank stability, competition, and intervention quality nonlinear? Evidence from North African countries," African Development Review, African Development Bank, vol. 35(1), pages 38-51, March.
    3. Cândida Ferreira, 2023. "Competition and Stability in the European Union Banking Sector," International Advances in Economic Research, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 29(4), pages 207-224, November.
    4. Brei, Michael & Jacolin, Luc & Noah, Alphonse, 2020. "Credit risk and bank competition in Sub-Saharan Africa," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 44(C).
    5. Merike Kukk & Alari Paulus & Nicolas Reigl, 2022. "Credit market concentration and systemic risk in Europe," Bank of Estonia Working Papers wp2022-4, Bank of Estonia, revised 24 Mar 2022.
    6. Jéfferson Colombo & Peter Wanke & Jorge Antunes & Abul Kalam Azad, 2022. "Unveiling endogeneity between competition and efficiency in European banks: a robust econometric-neural network approach," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 2(3), pages 1-46, March.
    7. Johannes K. Dreyer & Peter A. Schmid & Victoria Zugrav, 2018. "Individual, Systematic and Systemic Risks in the Danish Banking Sector," Czech Journal of Economics and Finance (Finance a uver), Charles University Prague, Faculty of Social Sciences, vol. 68(4), pages 320-350, September.
    8. Jagjeevan Kanoujiya & Shailesh Rastogi & Rebecca Abraham & Venkata Mrudula Bhimavarapu, 2023. "Does Competition Affect Financial Distress of Non-Financial Firms in India: A Comparison Using the Lerner Index and Boone Indicator," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 16(7), pages 1-20, July.
    9. Douglas A. Adu, 2022. "Competition and bank risk-taking in Sub-Saharan Africa countries," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 2(7), pages 1-26, July.
    10. Mateev, Miroslav & Moudud-Ul-Huq, Syed & Sahyouni, Ahmad & Tariq, Muhammad Usman, 2022. "Capital regulation, competition and risk-taking: Policy implications for banking sector stability in the MENA region," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    bank competition; banking sector concentration; market power; Lerner index; financial stability; bank-risk taking; Baltic countries;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • G28 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Government Policy and Regulation
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • L51 - Industrial Organization - - Regulation and Industrial Policy - - - Economics of Regulation

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